Bhagavad-gétä Introduction

[Gétopaniñad]
—
February 19, 1966, New York

Introduction to Gétopaniñad
[Earliest Recording of Çréla Prabhupäda
in the Bhaktivedanta Archives]

660219BG-NEW YORK [192:18 Minutes]

Audio

Prabhupäda:

oà ajïäna-timirändhasya
jïänäïjana-çaläkayä
cakñur unmélitaà yena
tasmai çré-gurave namaù

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master who, with the

torchlight of knowledge, has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the
darkness of ignorance.]

çré-caitanya-mano-'bhéñöaà
sthäpitaà yena bhü-tale
svayaà rüpaù kadä mahyaà
dadäti sva-padäntikam

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[When will Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé Prabhupäda, who has established within this
material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me
shelter under his lotus feet?]

vande 'haà çré-guroù çré-yuta-pada-kamalaà çré-gurün vaiñëaväàç ca

çré-rüpaà sägrajätaà saha-gaëa-raghunäthänvitaà taà sa-jévam
sädvaitaà sävadhütaà parijana-sahitaà kåñëa-caitanya-devaà
çré-rädhä-kåñëa-pädän saha-gaëa-lalitä-çré-viçäkhänvitäàç ca

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and
of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my
respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiñëavas and unto the six Gosvämés,
including Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé, Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé, Raghunätha däsa
Gosvämé, Jéva Gosvämé and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances
unto Çré Advaita Äcärya Prabhu, Çré Nityänanda Prabhu, Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu and all His devotees, headed by Çréväsa Öhäkura. I then offer my
respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kåñëa, Çrématé Rädhäräëé and
all the gopés, headed by Lalitä and Viçäkhä.]

he kåñëa karuëä-sindho
déna-bandho jagat-pate
gopeça gopikä-känta
rädhä-känta namo 'stu te

[O my dear Kåñëa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the
source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the
gopés, especially Rädhäräëé. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.]

tapta-käïcana-gauräìgi
rädhe våndävaneçvari
våñabhänu-sute devi
praëamämi hari-priye

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[I offer my respects to Rädhäräëé, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold
and who is the Queen of Våndävana. You are the daughter of King Våñabhänu,
and You are very dear to Lord Kåñëa.]

väïchä-kalpatarubhyaç ca
kåpä-sindhubhya eva ca
patitänäà pävanebhyo
vaiñëavebhyo namo namaù

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiñëava devotees of the Lord.
They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full
of compassion for the fallen souls.]

çré-kåñëa-caitanya
prabhu-nityänanda
çré-advaita gadädhara
çréväsädi-gaura-bhakta-vånda

[I offer my obeisances to Çré Kåñëa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityänanda, Çré Advaita,

Gadädhara, Çréväsa and all others in the line of devotion.]

hare kåñëa hare kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa hare hare

hare räma hare räma räma räma hare hare

[My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your
service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in
Your service.]
Introduction to Gétopaniñad by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, the author of
Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Easy Journey to Other Planets, editor of Back to Godhead,
etc.
Bhagavad-gétä is known also Gétopaniñad, the essence of Vedic knowledge, and
one of the most important of the various Upaniñads in Vedic literature. This

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Bhagavad-gétä, there are many commentations in English, and what is the
necessity of another English commentation of the Bhagavad-gétä can be
explained in the following way. One...
[break] One American lady, Mrs. Charlotte Leblanc, asked me to recommend
an English edition of Bhagavad-gétä which she can read.
Of course, in America there are so many editions of English Bhagavad-gétä, but
so far I have seen them, not only in America but also India, none of them can
be said strictly as authoritative, because almost every one of them have
expressed their own opinion through the commentation of the Bhagavad-gétä
without touching the spirit of Bhagavad-gétä as it is.
The spirit of Bhagavad-gétä is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gétä itself. It is just
like this: If we want to take a particular medicine, then we have to follow the
particular direction mentioned on the label of the medicine. We cannot take
the particular medicine according to our own direction or by the direction of a
friend, but we have to take the medicine under the direction given on the label
of the bottle and as directed by the physician. Similarly, the Bhagavad-gétä also
should be taken or accepted as it is directed by the speaker Himself.
The speaker of the Bhagavad-gétä is Lord Çré Kåñëa. He is mentioned in every
page of the Bhagavad-gétä as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavän.
Of course, "bhagavän" is sometimes designated to any powerful person or any
powerful demigod, but here bhagavän is certainly designated to Çré Kåñëa, a
great personality, but at the same time we must know that Lord Çré Kåñëa, as
He is confirmed by all the äcäryas..., I mean to say, even Çaìkaräcärya,
Rämänujäcärya, Madhväcärya, Nimbärka Svämé and Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu
and many others.
In India there were many authoritative scholars and äcäryas, I mean,
authorities of the Vedic knowledge. All of them, including Çaìkaräcärya, has
accepted Çré Kåñëa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord Himself
has also established Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the

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Bhagavad-gétä. He is accepted so in the Brahmä-saàhitä and all Puräëas,
especially in the Bhägavata Puräëam: kåñëas tu bhagavän svayam [SB 1.3.28].
[All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or
portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Çré Kåñëa is the original
Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a
disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.]
So therefore we should take Bhagavad-gétä as it is directed by the Personality of
Godhead Himself. So in the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gétä the Lord says,

imaà vivasvate yogaà

proktavän aham avyayam
vivasvän manave präha
manur ikñväkave 'bravét
[Bg 4.1]

[The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the
sun-god, Vivasvän, and Vivasvän instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind,
and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikñväku.]

evaà paramparä-präptam
imaà räjarñayo viduù
sa käleneha mahatä
yogo nañöaù parantapa
[Bg 4.2]

[This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic
succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of
time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be
lost.]

sa eväyaà mayä te 'dya

yogaù proktaù purätanaù

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 bhakto 'si me sakhä ceti
rahasyaà hy etad uttamam
[Bg 4.3]

[That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today
told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; therefore
you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science.]
The idea is the Lord said to Arjuna that "This yoga, this system of yoga,
Bhagavad-gétä, was first spoken by Me to the sun-god, and the sun-god
explained to Manu. Manu explained to Ikñväku, and in that way, by disciplic
succession, one after another, this yoga system is coming, and in course of time
this system is now lost. And therefore, I am speaking to you the very same yoga
system again, the very same old yoga system of Bhagavad-gétä, or Gétopaniñad.
Because you are My devotee and you are My friend, therefore it is possible for
you only to understand."
Now, the purport is that Bhagavad-gétä is a treatise which is specially meant for
the devotee of the Lord. There are three classes of transcendentalists, namely
the jïäné, the yogé and the bhakta, or the impersonalist or the meditator or the
devotees. So here it is clearly mentioned, the Lord says to Arjuna that "I am
speaking, or I am making you the first man of the paramparä. Because the old
paramparä, or disciplic succession, is now broken, therefore I wish to establish
again another paramparä in the same line of thought as it was coming down
from the sun-god to others. So you, you take it and you distribute it." Or "The
system, the yoga system of Bhagavad-gétä, may now be distributed through you.
You become the authority of understanding Bhagavad-gétä."
Now, here is a direction that Bhagavad-gétä is especially instructed to Arjuna,
the devotee of the Lord, the direct student of Kåñëa. And not only that; he is
intimately in touch with Kåñëa as friend. Therefore Bhagavad-gétä is
understood by a person who has similar qualities like Kåñëa. That means he
must be a devotee, he must be in relation, direct relationship with the Lord.

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As soon as one becomes a devotee of the Lord, he has a direct relationship also
with the Lord. That is a subject matter very long, but briefly it can be stated
that a devotee is in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in
five ways. One may be a devotee in a passive state, one may be a devotee in
active state, one may be a devotee as a friend, one may be a devotee as parent,
and one may be a devotee as conjugal lover.
So Arjuna was a devotee in relationship with the Lord as a friend. The Lord
can become a friend. Of course, this friendship and the conception of
friendship which we have got in the mundane world, there is a gulf of
difference. This is transcendental friendship, which... Not that everyone will
have the relationship with the Lord. Everyone has got a particular relationship
with the Lord, and that particular relationship is evoked by the perfection of
devotional service.
At the present status of our life we have not only forgotten the Supreme Lord,
but also we have forgotten our eternal relationship with the Lord. Every living
being, out of many, many millions and billions of living being, each and every
living being has got a particular relationship with the Lord eternally. That is
called svarüpa. Svarüpa. And by the process of devotional service one can
revive that svarüpa of oneself, and that stage is called svarüpa-siddhi, perfection
of one's constitutional position. So Arjuna was a devotee and he was in touch
with the Supreme Lord in friendship.
Now, this Bhagavad-gétä was explained to Arjuna, and how Arjuna accepted it,
that should also be noted. How Arjuna accepted the Bhagavad-gétä is
mentioned in the Tenth Chapter. Just like,

arjuna uväca
paraà brahma paraà dhäma
pavitraà paramaà bhavän
puruñaà çäçvataà divyam
ädi-devam ajaà vibhum

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 [Bg 10.12]

ähus tväm åñayaù sarve

devarñir näradas tathä
asito devalo vyäsaù
svayaà caiva bravéñi me
[Bg 10.13]

[Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme
abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are
the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and
all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Närada, Asita, Devala, and
Vyäsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.]

sarvam etad åtaà manye

yan mäà vadasi keçava
na hi te bhagavan vyaktià
vidur devä na dänaväù.
[Bg 10.14]

[O Kåñëa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the
gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.]
Now, Arjuna says, after hearing Bhagavad-gétä from the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, he accepts Kåñëa as paraà brahma, the Supreme Brahman. Brahman.
Every living being is Brahman, but the supreme living being, or the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, is the Supreme Brahman, or supreme living being.
And paraà dhäma. Paraà dhäma means He is the supreme rest of everything.
And pavitram. Pavitram means He is pure from material contamination. And
He's addressed as puruñam. Puruñam means the supreme enjoyer; çäçvatam,
çäçvata means from very beginning, He's the first person; divyam,
transcendental; devam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ajam, never born;

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vibhum, the greatest.
Now, one may doubt, that because Kåñëa was the friend of Arjuna, therefore
he might say all these things to his own friend. But Arjuna, just to drive out
this kind of doubts in the mind of the readers of Bhagavad-gétä, he establishes
his proposition by the authorities. He says that Lord Çré Kåñëa is accepted as
the Supreme Personality of Godhead not only by himself, Arjuna, but He is so
accepted by authorities like Närada, Asita, Devala, Vyäsa. These personalities
are great personalities in distributing the Vedic knowledge, accepted by all
äcäryas.
Therefore Arjuna says that "Whatever You have spoken so far to me, I accept
them as completely perfect." Sarvam etad åtaà manye [Bg 10.14].
[O Kåñëa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the
gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.]
"I take it, I believe it that whatever You have spoken, they are all right. And
Your personality, Your personality of Godhead, is very difficult to understand.
And therefore You cannot be known by even the demigods. You cannot be
known even by the demigods." That means the Supreme Personality Godhead
cannot be known even by greater personalities than the human being. And
how a human being can understand Çré Kåñëa without becoming His devotee?
Therefore Bhagavad-gétä should be taken up in a spirit of devotee of Lord Çré
Kåñëa. One should not think that he is equal, on the same level of Çré Kåñëa, or
one should not think that He is an ordinary personality, maybe a very great
personality. No. Lord Çré Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So at
least theoretically, on the statement of Bhagavad-gétä or on the statement,
assertion, of Arjuna, the person who is trying to understand the Bhagavad-gétä,
we should accept Çré Kåñëa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and then,
with that submissive spirit... Unless one receives this Bhagavad-gétä in a
submissive spirit and aural reception, it is very difficult to understand

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Bhagavad-gétä, because it is a great mystery.
So in this Bhagavad-gétä... We may survey what is this Bhagavad-gétä. This
Bhagavad-gétä is meant for delivering persons..., persons from the nescience of
this material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna
also was in difficulty in the matter of fighting the battle of Kurukñetra. And as
such, he surrendered unto Çré Kåñëa, and therefore this Bhagavad-gétä was
spoken. Similarly, not only Arjuna, but every one of us is always full of
anxieties due to our this material existence. Asad-grahät. It is... Our existence
is in the environment or atmosphere of nonexistence. But actually, we are not
nonexistent. Our existence is eternal, but some way or other we are put into
this asat. Asat means which does not exist.
Now out of so many human being who are actually inquiring about his position
as to what he is, why he is put into this awkward position of suffering... Unless
one is awakened to this position, that "Why I am suffering? I do not want all
these sufferings. I have tried to make a solution of all these sufferings, but I
have failed," unless one is in that position, he is not to be considered a perfect
human being. Humanity begins when this sort of inquiries are awakened in
one's mind.
In the Brahma-sütra this enquiry is called brahma-jijïäsä. Athäto brahma
jijïäsä. And every activity of the human being is to be considered a failure
without having this enquiry in his mind. So persons who have awakened this
enquiry into his mind as to "What I am, why I am suffering, wherefrom I have
come or where I shall go after death," when these inquiries come, are awakened
in the mind of a sane human being, then he is practically the right student for
understanding Bhagavad-gétä. And he must be çraddhävän. Çraddhävän. He
must have respect, a fond respect in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Such a person, as the ideal person was Arjuna.
So Lord Kåñëa, He descends, yadä yadä hi dharmasya glänir bhavati [Bg 4.7],
[Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O

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descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I
descend Myself.]
just to establish the real purpose of life. When man forgets the real purpose of
life, the mission of human form of life, then it is called dharmasya gläniù, the
disturbance of the occupation of human being. So in that circumstances, out of
many, many human being, who awakens, one who awakens the spirit of
understanding his position, for him this Bhagavad-gétä is spoken. We are just
like swallowed by the tigress of nescience, and Lord being causelessly merciful
upon the living entities, especially for the human being, He spoke
Bhagavad-gétä, making His friend Arjuna as the student.
Arjuna was certainly, being an associate of Lord Kåñëa, he was above all
ignorance. But still, Arjuna was put into ignorance in the Battlefield of
Kurukñetra just to question about the problems of life to the Supreme Lord so
that the Lord can explain them for the benefit of future generation of human
being to chalk out the plan of his life and act in that way so that his life, his
mission of human life, can be perfect.
So in this Bhagavad-gétä the subject matter is comprehending five different
truths. The first truth is what is God. It is the preliminary study of the science
of God. So that science of God is explained here. Next, the constitutional
position of the living entities, jéva. Éçvara and jéva. The Lord, the Supreme
Lord, He is called éçvara. Éçvara means controller, and jéva, the living entities,
are... Jévas, the living entities, they are not éçvara, or the controller. They are
controlled. Artificially if I say that "I am not controlled, I am free," this is not
the sign of a sane man. A living being is controlled in every respect. At least,
in his conditioned life he is controlled.
So in this Bhagavad-gétä the subject matter comprehends about the éçvara, the
supreme controller, and about the controlled living entities and prakåti, the
nature, the material nature. And next, the time, duration of existence of the
whole universe, or this manifestation of the material nature, and the duration

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of time, or the eternal time; and karma. Karma means activity. Everything, the
whole universe, whole cosmic manifestation, is full of different activities. The
living being, especially, they are all engaged in different activities. So we have
to study from the Bhagavad-gétä éçvara, what is God; jéva, what are these living
entities; and prakåti, what is this cosmic manifestation; and how it is controlled
by time; and what are these activities.
Now out of these five subject matter, in the Bhagavad-gétä it establish that the
Supreme Godhead, or Kåñëa, or Brahman, or Paramätmä—you may call
whatever you like—but the supreme controller. There is a supreme controller.
So the supreme controller is the greatest of all. And the living beings, they are
in quality like the supreme controller. Just like the supreme controller, the
Lord, He has control over the universal affairs, over the material nature, how
the... It will be explained in the later chapters of Bhagavad-gétä that this
material nature is not independent. She is acting under the direction of the
Supreme Lord. Mayädhyakñeëa prakåtiù süyate sa-caräcaram [Bg 9.10]:
[This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kunté, and it
is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is
created and annihilated again and again.]
"This material nature is working under My direction," mayädhyakñeëa, "under
My superintendence."
So we, we are mistaken. When we see wonderful things happening in the
cosmic nature, we should know that behind these wonderful manifestations
there is a controller. Nothing can be manifested without being controlled. It is
childish to..., not to consider about the controller. Just like a very nice
motorcar with very good speed and very good engineering arrangement is
running on the street. A child may think that "How this motorcar is running
without the help of any horse or any pulling agent?" But a sane man, or an
elderly person, he knows that in spite of all engineering arrangements in the
motorcar, without the driver it cannot move.

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That engineering arrangement of a motorcar, or in electric powerhouse... Now
at the present moment it is the day of machinery, but we should always know
that behind the machinery, behind the wonderful working of the machinery,
there is a driver. So the Supreme Lord is the driver, adhyakña. He is the
Supreme Personality under whose direction everything is working.
Now these jéva, or the living entities, they have been accepted by the Lord in
this Bhagavad-gétä, as we'll know it in later chapters, that they are parts and
parcels of the Supreme Lord. Mamaiväàço jéva-bhütaù [Bg 15.7].
[The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental
parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses,
which include the mind.]
Aàça means parts and parcels. Now, as a particle of gold is also particle, a drop
of water of the ocean is also salty, similarly, we, the living entities, being part
and parcels of the supreme controller, éçvara, Bhagavän, or Lord Çré Kåñëa, we
have got, I mean to say, qualitatively all the qualities of the Supreme Lord in
minute. Because we are minute éçvara, subordinate éçvara. We are also trying to
control. We are just trying to control over the nature. In the present days you
are trying to control over the space; you are trying to float imitation planets.
So this tendency of controlling or creating is there because partially we have
got that controlling tendency. But we should know that this tendency is not
sufficient. We have the tendency of controlling over the material nature,
lording it over the material nature, but we are not the supreme controller. So
that thing is explained in the Bhagavad-gétä.
Then what is this material nature? The nature is also explained. The nature,
material nature, is explained in the Bhagavad-gétä as inferior, inferior prakåti.
Inferior prakåti. And the living entities are explained as the superior prakåti.
Prakåti means which is controlled, which is under... Prakåti, real meaning of
prakåti is a woman or a female. Just like a husband controls the activities of his

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wife, similarly, the prakåti is also subordinate, predominated. The Lord, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the predominator, and this prakåti, both
the living entities and the material nature, they are different prakåtis, or
predominated, controlled by the Supreme.
So according to Bhagavad-gétä, the living entities, although they are parts and
parcels of the Supreme Lord, they are taken as prakåti. It is clearly mentioned
in the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä, yes, apareyam itas tu viddhi aparä
[Bg 7.5].
[Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior
energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material
nature and are sustaining the universe.]
This material nature is aparä iyam. Itas tu, and beyond this there is another
prakåti. And what is that prakåti? Jéva-bhüta, these...
So this prakåti, the constitution of this prakåti, is constituted by three qualities:
the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and mode of ignorance. And above
these modes, three different kinds of modes, goodness, passion and, I mean to
say, ignorance, there is eternal time. There is eternal time. And by
combination of these modes of nature and under the control, under the
purview, of this eternal time, there are activities. There are activities, which is
called karma.
These activities are being done from time immemorial, and we are suffering or
enjoying the fruits of our activities, just like in the present life also, we enjoy
the activities, the fruits of our activities. Suppose I am a businessman and I
have worked very hard with intelligence, and I have amassed a vast amount of
bank balance. Now I am the enjoyer. Similarly, suppose I started my business
with a vast amount of money, but I failed to make a successful..., I lost all the
money. So I am sufferer. So similarly, in every field of our life we enjoy, we
enjoy the result of our work. This is called karma.

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So these things, éçvara, jéva, prakåti, or the Supreme Lord, or the living entity,
the material nature, the eternal time, and our different activities, these things
are explained in the Bhagavad-gétä. Now out of these five, the Lord, the living
entities, and the material nature and time, these four items are eternal. Now
manifestation, manifestation of prakåti, may be temporary, but it is not false.
Some philosophers say that this manifestation of material nature is false, but
according to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gétä or according to the philosophy of
the Vaiñëavas, they do not accept the manifestation of the world as false. They
accept that the manifestation is real, but it is temporary.
It is just like a cloud takes place in the sky and the rainy season begins, and
after the rainy season there are so many new green vegetation all over the
field, we can see. And as soon as the rainy season is finished, then the cloud is
vanquished. Generally, gradually, all this vegetation dry up and again the land
becomes barren. Similarly, this material manifestation takes place at a certain
interval.
We'll understand it, we'll know it, from the pages of the Bhagavad-gétä. Bhütvä
bhütvä praléyate [Bg 8.19].
[Again and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active; and again
the night falls, O Pärtha, and they are helplessly dissolved.]
This manifestation becomes magnificent at a certain interval, and again it
disappears. That is the work of the prakåti. But it is working eternally; therefore
prakåti is eternal. It is not false. Because the Lord has accepted, mama prakåti,
"My prakåti." Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakåtià paräm [Bg 7.5]. Bhinnä prakåti,
bhinnä prakåti, aparä prakåti, this material nature is a separated energy of the
Supreme Lord, and the living entities, they are also energy of the Supreme
Lord, but they are not separated. They are eternally related.
So the Lord, the living entity, the nature—material nature—and time, they
are all eternal. But the other item, karma, is not eternal. The effects of karma,

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or activity, may be very old. We are suffering or enjoying the results of our
activities from a time immemorial, but still, we can change the result of our
karma, or activity. That will depend on our perfect knowledge. We are engaged
in various activities undoubtedly, but we do not know what sort of activities we
shall adopt that will give us relief from the actions and reactions of all
activities. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gétä.
Now, the position of éçvara is supreme consciousness. Position of éçvara, or the
Supreme Lord, is supreme consciousness. And the jévas, or the living entities,
being parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, he is also conscious. A living
entity is also conscious. The living entity is explained as prakåti, energy, and
the material nature is also explained as prakåti, but amongst the two, one
prakåti, the jévas, they are conscious; the other prakåti is not conscious. That is
the difference.
Therefore the jéva prakåti is called superior, because the jévas has consciousness
similar to the Lord. The Lord is supreme consciousness. One should not claim
that a jéva, a living entity, is also supremely conscious. No. A living being
cannot be supremely conscious at any stage of his perfection. This is a
misleading theory. This is misleading theory. But he is conscious. That's all. But
he is not supreme conscious.
The supreme conscious, it will be explained in the Bhagavad-gétä in the chapter
where the distinction between the jéva and éçvara is explained.
Kñetra-kñetra-jïa. This kñetra-jïa has been explained that the Lord is also
kñetra-jïa, or conscious, and the jévas, or the living beings, they are also
conscious. But the difference is that a living being is conscious within his
limited body, but the Lord is conscious of all bodies. Éçvaraù sarva-bhütänäà
håd-deçe 'rjuna tiñöhati [Bg 18.61].
[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is
directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine,
made of the material energy.]

16
The Lord lives within the core of heart in every living being, therefore He is
conscious of the psychic movements, activities, of the Lord..., of the particular
jéva. We should not forget.
It is also explained that the Paramätmä, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
is living in everyone's heart as éçvara, as the controller, and He is giving
direction. He is giving direction. Sarvasya cähaà hådi sanniviñöhaù [Bg 15.15],
[I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance,
knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am
the compiler of Vedänta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.]
everyone's heart He is situated, and He gives direction to act as he desire. The
living entity forgets what to do. First of all he makes his determination to act
in a certain way, and then he is entangled in the actions and reactions of his
own karma. But after giving up one type of body, when he enters another type
of body... Just like we give up one kind of dress, one type of dress, for another
type of dress, similarly, it is explained in this Bhagavad-gétä that väsäàsi jérëäni
yathä vihäya [Bg 2.22]:
[As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul
accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.]
one, as one changes his different dresses, similarly the living entities, they are
also changing different bodies, transmigration of the soul, and pulling on the
actions and reactions of his past activities.
So these activities can be changed when a living being is in the mode of
goodness, in sanity, and he understands what sort of activities he should adopt.
And if he does so, then the whole action and reactions of his past activities can
be changed. Therefore karma is not eternal. Other things, out of the four...,
five items—éçvara, jéva, prakåti, käla and karma—these four items are eternal,
whereas the karma, the item known as karma, that is not eternal.
Now the conscious éçvara, the supreme conscious éçvara, and difference

17
between the supreme conscious éçvara, or the Lord, and the living being is, in
the present circumstances, is like this. Consciousness, consciousness of..., both
of the Lord and the living entities, they are, this consciousness is
transcendental. It is not that this consciousness is generated by the association
of this matter. That is a mistaken idea.
The theory that consciousness develops under certain circumstances of
material combination is not accepted in the Bhagavad-gétä. They cannot.
Consciousness may be pervertedly reflected by the cover of material
circumstances, just like light reflected through a colored glass may seem
according to the color. Similarly, the consciousness of Lord, it is not materially
affected. The Supreme Lord, just like Kåñëa, He says that mayädhyakñeëa
prakåtiù [Bg 9.10].
[This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kunté, and it
is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is
created and annihilated again and again.]
When He descends in this material world, His consciousness is not materially
affected. Had His consciousness been materially affected, He was unfit to speak
about the transcendental subject matter in the Bhagavad-gétä. One cannot say
anything about the transcendental world without being free from the
materially contaminated consciousness. So the Lord was not materially
contaminated. But our consciousness, at the present moments, is materially
contaminated.
So whole thing, as the Bhagavad-gétä teaches, we have to purify the materially
contaminated consciousness, and in that pure consciousness, the actions will
be done. That will make us happy. We cannot stop. We cannot stop our
activity. The activities are to be purified. And these purified activities are
called bhakti. Bhakti means they are..., they appear also just like ordinary
activity, but they are not contaminated activities. They are purified activities.
So a ignorant person may see that a devotee is working like an ordinary man.

18
But a person with poor fund of knowledge, he does not know that the activities
of a devotee or the activities of the Lord, they are not contaminated by the
impure consciousness of matter, impurity of the three guëas, modes of nature,
but transcendental consciousness.
So our consciousness is materially contaminated, we should know. Now, when
we are such materially contaminated, that is called our conditioned stage.
Conditioned stage. And the false ego, the false consciousness... The false
consciousness is exhibited under the impression that "I am one of the product
of this material nature." That is called false ego. The whole material activities,
yasyätma-buddhiù kuëape tri-dhätuke [SB 10.84.13].
[One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and
air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an
earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of
pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with,
feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual
truth—such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.]
Yasyätma-buddhiù kuëape tri-dhätuke: one who is absorbed in the thought of
bodily conception. Now, the whole Bhagavad-gétä was explained by the Lord
because Arjuna represented himself with bodily conception. So one has to get
free from the bodily conception of life. That is the preliminary activity for a
transcendentalist who wants to get free, who wants to be liberated. And he has
to learn first of all that he is not this material body.
So this consciousness, or material consciousness, when we are freed from this
material consciousness, that is called mukti. Mukti, or liberation, means to
become free from material consciousness. In the Çrémad-Bhägavata also the
definition of liberation is said, muktir hitvänyathä rüpaà svarüpeëa vyavasthitiù
[SB 2.10.6].
[The merging of the living entity, along with his conditional living
tendency, with the mystic lying down of the Mahä-Viñëu is called the winding

19
up of the cosmic manifestation. Liberation is the permanent situation of the
form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable gross and subtle
material bodies.]
Svarüpeëa vyavasthitiù. Mukti means liberation from the contaminated
consciousness of this material world and to become situated in pure
consciousness. And the whole instruction, instruction of Bhagavad-gétä, is
targeted to awaken that pure consciousness.
We'll find in the last stage of the instruction of Bhagavad-gétä that Kåñëa is
asking Arjuna whether he is now in purified consciousness—whether he was
in purified consciousness. The purified consciousness is to act according to the
direction of the Lord. That is purified consciousness. That is the whole sum
and substance of purified consciousness. Consciousness is already there, but
because we are part and parcels, therefore we are affected. There is affinity of
being affected by the material modes. But the Lord, being Supreme, He is never
affected. He is never affected. That is the difference between the Lord and the
Supreme..., Supreme Lord and the...
Now this consciousness is... What is this consciousness? This consciousness is
that "I am." What I am? When in contaminated consciousness this "I am"
means that "I am the lord of all I survey." This is impure consciousness. And "I
am the enjoyer." The whole material world is moving that every living being is
thinking that "I am the lord and I am the creator of this material world." The
consciousness has got two psychic movement, or two psychic division. One is
that "I am the creator," and the other is "I am the enjoyer."
So the Supreme Lord is actually the creator and He is actually the enjoyer.
And the living entities, being part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, he's not
actually the creator or the enjoyer, but he's a cooperator. Just like the whole
machine. The part of the machine is the cooperator. Is the cooperator. Or if we
can study just the constitution of our body, now, in the body there are hands,
there are legs, there are eyes and all these instruments working, but all these

20
parts and parcels of the body, they are not enjoyer. The stomach is the enjoyer.
The leg is moving from one place to another. The hand is collecting, the hand
is preparing foodstuff, and the teeth is chewing, and everything, all parts of
body, are engaged in satisfying the stomach, because the stomach is the
principle fact within the organization of this body. And everything should be
given to the stomach. Präëopahäräc ca yathendriyäëäm [SB 4.31.14].
[As pouring water on the root of a tree energizes the trunk, branches, twigs
and everything else, and as supplying food to the stomach enlivens the senses
and limbs of the body, simply worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead
through devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts
of that Supreme Personality.]
Just like you can see a tree green by pouring water in the root. Or you can
become healthy... The parts of the body—the hands, the legs, the eyes, the
ears, the fingers—everything keeps in healthy stage when the parts of the body
cooperate with the stomach.
Similarly, the supreme living being, the Lord, He is the enjoyer. He is the
enjoyer and He is the creator. And we, I mean to say, subordinate living beings,
the products of the energy of the Supreme Lord, we are just to cooperate with
Him. That cooperation will help. Just, for example, a good foodstuff taken by
the fingers. If the fingers think that "Why should we give it to the stomach?
Let us enjoy," that is a mistake. The fingers are unable to enjoy. If fingers want
the fruit of enjoyment of that particular foodstuff, the fingers must put it into
the stomach.
The whole arrangement is that the central figure, central figure of creation,
central figure of enjoyment, is the Supreme Lord, and the living entities, they
are simply cooperator. By cooperation, by cooperation they enjoy. The relation
is just like the master and the servant. If the master is satisfied, if the master is
fully satisfied, the servants are automatically satisfied. That is the law.
Similarly, the Supreme Lord should be satisfied, although the tendency for

21
becoming creator and the tendency to enjoy this material world is..., they are
also in the living entities, because it is there in the Supreme Lord. He has
created. He has created the manifested cosmic world. [break]
Therefore we shall find in this Bhagavad-gétä that the complete whole,
comprising the supreme controller, the controlled living entities, the cosmic
manifestation, the eternal time and the activities, all of them are completely
explained. So the whole thing taking together completely is called the Absolute
Truth. The complete whole, or the Supreme Absolute Truth, is therefore the
complete Personality of Godhead Çré Kåñëa, as I have explained, that the
manifestation are due to His different energies, and He is the complete whole.
The impersonal Brahman is explained in the Bhagavad-gétä that impersonal
Brahman is also subordinate to the complete person. Brahmaëo 'haà pratiñöhä
[Bg 14.27].
[And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is the constitutional
position of ultimate happiness, and which is immortal, imperishable and
eternal.]
Impersonal Brahman is also. It is... The impersonal Brahman is more explicitly
explained in the Brahma-sütra as the rays. As there is the rays of the sunshine,
sun planet, similarly, the impersonal Brahman is the shining rays of the
Supreme Brahman, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore
impersonal Brahman is incomplete realization of the absolute complete whole,
and so also the conception of Paramätmä. These things are also explained.
Puruñottama-yoga. When we shall read the chapter of Puruñottama-yoga it will
be seen that the Supreme Personality, Puruñottama, is above the impersonal
Brahman and partial realization of Paramätmä.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is called sac-cid-änanda-vigrahaù. In the
Brahma-saàhitä, the beginning is started like this:
éçvaraù paramaù kåñëaù

22
 sac-cid-änanda-vigrahaù
anädir ädir govindaù
sarva-käraëa-käraëam
[Bs 5.1]
[Kåñëa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an
eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and
He is the prime cause of all causes.]
"Govinda, Kåñëa, is the cause of all causes. He is the primal Lord." So the
Supreme Personality of Godhead is sac-cid-änanda-vigrahaù. Impersonal
Brahman realization is the realization of His sat part, eternity. And Paramätmä
realization is the realization of sat-cit, eternal knowledge part realization. But
realization of the Personality of Godhead as Kåñëa is realization of all the
transcendental features like sat, cit and änanda, in complete vigraha. Vigraha
means form. Vigraha means form.
Avyaktaà vyaktim äpannaà manyante mäm abuddhayaù [Bg 7.24].
[Unintelligent men, who know Me not, think that I have assumed this form
and personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher
nature, which is changeless and supreme.]
People with less intelligence, they consider the Supreme Truth as impersonal.
But He is a person, a transcendental person. This is confirmed in all Vedic
literature. Nityo nityänäà cetanaç cetanänäm [Kaöha Upaniñad 2.2.13].
[The Supreme Lord is eternal and the living beings are eternal. The
Supreme Lord is cognizant and the living beings are cognizant. The difference
is that the Supreme Lord is supplying all the necessities of life for the many
other living entities.]
So, as we are also persons, individual living being, we are person, we have got
our individuality, we are all individual, similarly the Supreme Truth, the
Supreme Absolute, He is also, at the ultimate issue, He is a person. But

23
realization of the Personality of Godhead is realization of all the
transcendental features like sat, cit and änanda, in complete vigraha. Vigraha
means form. Therefore the complete whole is not formless. If He is formless or
if He is less in any other thing, He cannot be complete whole. The complete
whole must have everything within our experience and beyond our experience.
Otherwise He cannot be complete.
The complete whole Personality of Godhead has immense potencies. Paräsya
çaktir vividhaiva çrüyate [Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad 6.8].
[The Supreme Lord has nothing to do. Nothing is equal to Him or greater
than Him. He acts in different phases by manifesting His parts and parcels,
which are all simultaneously differently situated by His unlimited, variegated
potencies. Each potency acts quite naturally in sequences, providing Him full
knowledge, power and pastimes.]
That is also explained in Bhagavad-gétä, how He is acting in different
potencies. This phenomenal world, or the material world, where we are now
put, is also complete by itself, because pürëam idam [Éçopaniñad, Invocation].
[The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is
completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world,
are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the
Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole,
even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the
complete balance.]
The twenty-four elements of which, according to Säìkhya philosophy, the
twenty-four elements of which this material universe is a temporary
manifestation are completely adjusted to produce complete things which are
necessary for the maintenance and subsistence of this universe. No extraneous
effort by any other unit is required for the maintenance of the universe. It's at
its own time, fixed up by the energy of the complete whole, and when the time
is complete, these temporary manifestations will be annihilated by the

24
complete arrangement of the complete.
There is complete facility for the small complete units, namely, the living
entities, to realize the complete. And all sorts of incompleteness is experienced
on account of incomplete knowledge of the complete. So the Bhagavad-gétä is
the complete knowledge of the Vedic wisdom. The whole Vedic knowledge is
infallible. There are different examples how we take Vedic knowledge as
infallible.
Take, for example, so far the Hindus are concerned, and how they accept the
Vedic knowledge as complete, here is an insignificant example. Just like the
cow dung. The cow dung is the stool of an animal. According to småti, or Vedic
wisdom, if one touches the stool of an animal he has to take his bath to purify
himself. But in the Vedic scriptures the cow dung is stated as pure. Rather,
impure place or impure things are purified by touch of the cow dung.
Now, if one argues how it is that in one place it is said that the stool of the
animal is impure and another place it is said that the cow dung, which is also
the stool of an animal, it is pure, so it is contradictory. But actually, it may
appear to be contradictory, but because it is Vedic injunction, therefore for our
practical purposes we accept it. And by that acceptance we are not committing
mistake.
It has been found by modern chemist, modern science, one Dr. Lal Mohan
Ghosa, he has very minutely analyzed the cow dung, and he has found that cow
dung is a composition of all antiseptic properties. So similarly, he has also
analyzed the water of the Ganges out of curiosity. So my idea is that Vedic
knowledge is complete because it is above all doubts and all mistakes. So..., and
Bhagavad-gétä is the essence of all Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is
therefore infallible. It comes down through the perfect disciplic succession.
Therefore Vedic knowledge is not a thing of research. Our research work is
imperfect, because we are searching everything with imperfect senses.
Therefore the result of our research work is also imperfect. It cannot be

25
perfect. We have to accept the perfect knowledge.
The perfect knowledge is coming down, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, just
we have begun, evaà paramparä-präptam imaà räjarñayo viduù [Bg 4.2].
[This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic
succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of
time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be
lost.]
We have to receive the knowledge from the right source in disciplic succession
of spiritual masters beginning from the Lord Himself. So Bhagavad-gétä is
spoken by the Lord Himself. And Arjuna, the, I mean to say, the student who
took lessons of the Bhagavad-gétä, he accepted the whole story as it is, without
any cutting.
That is also not allowed, that we accept a certain portion of Bhagavad-gétä and
reject another portion. That is also not accepted. We must accept the
Bhagavad-gétä without interpretation, without any cutting, and without our
own whimsical participation in the matter, because it should be taken as the
most perfect Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is received from the
transcendental sources, because the first word was spoken by the Lord Himself.
The words spoken by the Lord is called apauruñeya [not made by man], or not
delivered by any person of the mundane world, who is infected with four
principles of imperfectness.
A living being of the mundane world has four defective principles of his life,
and they are:

1) that he must commit mistake,

2) he must be sometimes illusioned,
3) he must try to cheat others, and
4) he's endowed with imperfect senses.

With all these four principles of imperfectness, one cannot deliver the perfect

26
form of information in the matter of all-pervading knowledge. The Vedas are
not like that.
The Vedic knowledge was imparted in the heart of Brahmä, the first created
living being. And Brahmä in his turn disseminated the knowledge to his sons
and disciples as they were originally received from the Lord. The Lord, being
pürëam, or all-perfect, there is no chance of His becoming subjected to the laws
of material nature. One should therefore be intelligent enough to know that
except the Lord, nobody is the proprietor of anything within the universe.
That is explained in the Bhagavad-gétä:

ahaà sarvasya prabhavo

mattaù sarvaà pravartate
iti matvä bhajante mäà
budhä bhäva-samanvitäù
[Bg 10.8]

[I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates

from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service
and worship Me with all their hearts.]
The Lord is the original creator. He is the creator of Brahmä, He is the
creator... That is also explained. He is the creator of Brahmä. In the Eleventh
Chapter the Lord is addressed as prapitämaha [Bg 11.39]
[You are air, fire, water, and You are the moon! You are the supreme
controller and the grandfather. Thus I offer my respectful obeisances unto You
a thousand times, and again and yet again!]
Because Brahmä is addressed as pitämaha, the grandfather, but He is the
creator of the grandfather also. So nobody should claim to be the proprietor of
anything, but he must accept things which are set aside by the Lord as his
quota of maintenance.

27
Now, there are many examples how we have to utilize the allotment of the
Lord. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gétä. Arjuna, he decided in the
beginning that he should not fight. That was his own contemplation. Arjuna
said to the Lord that it was not possible for him to enjoy the kingdom after
killing his own kinsmen. And that point of view was due to his conception of
the body. Because he was thinking that the body was himself and the bodily
relatives—his brothers, his nephews, his father-in-law or his
grandfather—they were expansion of his body, and he was thinking in that
way to satisfy his bodily demands. And the whole thing was spoken by the Lord
just to change the view. And he agreed to work under the direction of the
Lord. And he said, kariñye vacanaà tava [Bg 18.73].
[Arjuna said, My dear Kåñëa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I
have regained my memory by Your mercy, and I am now firm and free from
doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.]
Therefore in this world the human being is not meant for quarreling like the
cats and dogs. They must be intelligent enough to realize the importance of the
human life and refuse to act like ordinary animal. He should... A human being
should realize the aim of human life. This direction is given in all the Vedic
literature, and the essence is given in the Bhagavad-gétä. Vedic literature are
meant for the human being and not for the cats and dogs. The cats and dogs
can kill their eatable animals, and for that there is no question of sin on their
part. But if a man kills an animal for the satisfaction of his uncontrolled taste,
he must be responsible for breaking the laws of nature.
And in the Bhagavad-gétä it is clearly explained that there are three kinds of
activities according to the different modes of nature: the activities of goodness,
the activities of passion, the activities of ignorance. Similarly, there are three
kinds of eatables also: eatables in goodness, eatables on passion, eatables on
ignorance. They're all clearly described, and if we properly utilize the
instructions of the Bhagavad-gétä, then our whole life will become purified and

28
ultimately we shall [be] able to reach the destination: yad gatvä na nivartante
tad dhäma paramaà mama [Bg 15.6].
[That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity.
One who reaches it never returns to this material world.]
That information is given in the Bhagavad-gétä, that beyond this spiritual...,
material sky, there is another, spiritual sky; that is called sanätana sky. In this
sky, this covered sky, we find everything temporary. It is manifested, it stays for
some time, gives us some by-product, and then it becomes dwindling and then
vanishes. That is the law of this material world. You take this body, you take a
fruit or anything what is created here, it has got its annihilation at the end.
So beyond this temporary world there is another world, for which the
information is there, that paras tasmät tu bhävaù anyaù [Bg 8.20].
[Yet there is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this
manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated.
When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.]
There is another nature which is eternal, sanätana. Which is eternal. And the
jéva, jéva is also described as sanätana. Mamaiväàço jéva-bhütaù jéva-loke
sanätanaù [Bg 15.7].
[The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental
parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses,
which include the mind.]
Sanätana. Sanätana means eternal. And the Lord is also described as sanätana
in the Eleventh Chapter.
So because we have got intimate relation with the Lord and we are all
qualitatively one... The sanätana-dhama and the sanätana Supreme Personality
and the sanätana living entities, they are on the same qualitatively plane.
Therefore the whole target of Bhagavad-gétä is to revive our sanätana
occupation, or sanätana..., that is called sanätana-dharma, or eternal

29
occupation of the living entity. We are now temporarily engaged in different
activities, and all these activities being purified, when we give up all these
temporary activities, sarva-dharmän parityajya [Bg 18.66], and when we take up
the activity as desired by the Supreme Lord, that is called our pure life.
[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver
you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]
[break]
Therefore, sanätana-dharma, as mentioned above, that the Supreme Lord is
sanätana, and the transcendental abode, which is beyond the spiritual sky, that
is also sanätana. And the living entities, they are also sanätana. So association
of the sanätana Supreme Lord, sanätana living entities in the sanätana eternal
abode, is the ultimate aim of human form of life.
The Lord is so kind upon the living entities, because the living entities are
claimed to be all sons of the Supreme Lord. The Lord declares, sarva-yoniñu
kaunteya sambhavanti mürtayo yäù [Bg 14.4]:
[It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunté, are made
possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.]
Every living..., every type of living entity... There are different types of living
entities according to their different karma, but the Lord claims that He is the
father of all living entities, and therefore the Lord descends to reclaim all these
forgotten conditioned souls back to the sanätana-dhäma, the sanätana sky, so
that the sanätana living entity may again reinstall in his sanätana position in
eternal association of the Lord. He comes Himself by different incarnations,
He sends His confidential servitor as sons or associates or äcäryas to reclaim
the conditioned souls. And therefore sanätana-dharma does not mean any
sectarian process of religion. It is the eternal function of the eternal living
entities in relationship with the eternal Supreme Lord.
Now, so far sanätana-dharma is concerned, it means the eternal occupation.

30
Çrépäda Rämänujäcärya has explained the word sanätana as "the thing which
has neither any beginning nor any end." And when we speak of
sanätana-dharma we must take it for granted on the authority of Çrépäda
Rämänujäcärya that it has no beginning, nor any end.
The word "religion" is a little different from sanätana-dharma. "Religion"
conveys the idea of faith. Faith may change. One may have faith in a particular
process, and he may change the faith afterwards and adopt another faith. But
sanätana-dharma means which cannot be changed. Which cannot be changed.
Just like water and liquidity. Liquidity cannot be changed from water. Heat and
fire. Heat cannot be changed from fire. Similarly, the eternal function of the
eternal living entity, which is known as sanätana-dharma, cannot be changed.
It is not possible to change. We have to find out what is that eternal function
of the eternal living entity.
When we speak of sanätana-dharma, therefore, we must take it for granted on
the authority of Çrépäda Rämänujäcärya that it has no beginning nor any end.
The thing which has no end, no beginning, must not be any sectarian thing or
limited by any boundary. When we hold on the conference on the
sanätana-dharma, people belonging to some of the noneternal religious faith
may wrongly consider it that we are dealing in some sectarian thing. But if we
go deep into the matter and take everything in the light of modern science, it
will be possible for us to see sanätana-dharma as the business of all the people of
the world, nay, all the living entities of the universe. Non-sanätana religious
faith may have some beginning in the annals of the human society, but there
cannot be any history of the sanätana-dharma, because it continues to remain
with the history of the living entities.
So far living entities are concerned, we find it from the authority of the çästras
that living entities have also no birth or death. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is clearly
stated that the living entity is never born, nor does it ever die. He's eternal,
indestructible, and continues to live after the destruction of his temporary

31
material body.
With reference to the above concept of sanätana-dharma we may try to
understand the concept of religion from the Sanskrit root meaning of the word
dharma. It means that which is constantly with the particular object. As we
have already mentioned, when we speak of fire, it is concluded at the same
time that there is heat and light along with the fire. Without heat and without
light, there is no meaning of the word fire. Similarly, we must find out the
essential part of a living being which is always companion with him. That part
of constant companion of the living being is his eternal quality, and the eternal
part of the living being's quality is his eternal religion.
When Sanätana Gosvämé asked Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu about the
svarüpa—we have already discussed about the svarüpa of every living
being—svarüpa, or real constitution of the living being, the Lord replied that
the constitutional position of the living being is to render service to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. But if we analyze this part of the statement
of Lord Caitanya, we can very well see that every living being is constantly
engaged in the business of rendering service to another living being.
A living being serves another living being in different capacities, and by doing
so, the living entity enjoys life. A lower animal serves a human being; as
servant serves his master. A serves B master, B serves C master and C serves D
master, and so on. Under the circumstances, we can see that a friend serves
another friend and the mother serves the son, or the wife serves the husband,
or husband serves the wife. If we go on searching in that spirit, it will be seen
that there is no exception in the society of the living being where we do not
find the activity of service.
The politician present his manifesto before the public and convinces voters
about his service capacity. The voter also gives the politician his valuable vote
on expectation that the politician will give service to the society. The
shopkeeper serves the customer and the artisan serves the capitalist. The

32
capitalist serves his family and the family serves the head man in terms of the
eternal capacity of eternal being. In this way we can see no living being is
exempted from the practice of rendering service to other living being, and
therefore we can conclude that service is a thing which is the constant
companion of the living being, and therefore it may be safely concluded that
rendering of service by a living being is the eternal religion of the living being.
When a man professes to belong to a particular type of faith with reference to
the particular time and circumstances of birth, and thus one claims to be a
Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, Buddhist, or any other sect and sub-sect, such
designations are non–sanätana-dharma. A Hindu may change his faith to
become a Muslim, or a Muslim may change his faith to become a Hindu or a
Christian, etc., but in all circumstances such change of religious faith does not
allow a person to change his eternal engagement of rendering service to other.
A Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian, in all circumstances he is servant of
somebody, and thus to profess a particular type of faith is not to be considered
as sanätana-dharma, but the constant companion of the living being, that is,
rendering of service, is the sanätana-dharma.
So factually, we are related in the service relationship with the Supreme Lord.
The Supreme Lord is the supreme enjoyer, and we living entities are eternally
His supreme servitors. We are created for His enjoyment, and if we partake,
participate, in that eternal enjoyment with the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, that makes us happy; not otherwise. Independently..., as we have
already explained that independently, any part of the body—the hand, the
feet, the fingers, or any part of the body—independently cannot be happy
without cooperation with the stomach, similarly, the living entity can never be
happy without rendering his transcendental loving service to the Supreme
Lord.
Now, in the Bhagavad-gétä the worship of different demigod is not approved, is
not approved, because... It is said in the Bhagavad-gétä, Seventh Chapter,
twentieth verse, the Lord says, kämais tais tair håta-jïänäù prapadyante
33
'nya-devatäù [Bg 7.20].
[Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto
demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according
to their own natures.]
Kämais tais tair håta-jïänäù. Those who are directed by lust, only they worship
the demigods other than the Supreme Lord, Kåñëa.
We also may remember that when we speak of "Kåñëa" it is not a sectarian
name. The "Kåñëa" name means the highest pleasure. It is confirmed that the
Supreme Lord is the reservoir, is the storehouse, of all pleasure. We are all
hankering after pleasure. Änandamayo 'bhyäsät [Vedänta-sütra 1.1.12].
[By nature, the Supreme Lord is blissful.]
The living entities or the Lord, because we are full of consciousness, therefore
our consciousness is after happiness. Happiness. The Lord is also perpetually
happy, and if we associate with the Lord, cooperate with Him, take part in His
association, then also we become happy.
The Lord descends on this mortal world to show His pastimes in Våndävana
full of happiness. When Lord Çré Kåñëa was in Våndävana, His activities with
His cowherd boys friend, with His damsels, with His friend..., with His damsel
friends and with the inhabitants of Våndävana, and His occupation of
cowherding in His childhood, and all these pastimes of Lord Kåñëa was full of
happiness. The whole of Våndävana, the whole population of Våndävana, was
after Him. They did not know except Kåñëa. Even Lord Kåñëa restricted His
father, Nanda Mahäräja, in worshiping the demigod Indra, because He wanted
to establish that people need not worship any other demigod except the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because the ultimate aim of life is to return
to the abode of the Supreme Lord. [break]
The abode of Lord Kåñëa is described in the Bhagavad-gétä, Fifteenth Chapter,
sixth verse,

34
 na tad bhäsayate süryo
na çaçäìko na pävakaù
yad gatvä na nivartante
tad dhäma paramaà mama
[Bg 15.6]

[That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity.
One who reaches it never returns to this material world.]
Now the description of that eternal sky... When we speak of sky, because we
have material conception of the sky, therefore we think of sky with sun, moon,
stars, like that. But the Lord says that the eternal sky, there is no need of sun.
Na tad bhäsayate süryo na çaçäìko na pävakaù. Neither in that eternal sky
there is need of moon. Na pävakaù means neither there is necessity of
electricity or fire for illuminating, because the spiritual sky is already
illuminated by the brahma-jyoti. Brahmajyoti, yasya prabhä [Bs 5.40], the rays of
the supreme abode.
[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the
nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upaniñads, being differentiated
from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible,
infinite, limitless, truth.]
Now in these days, when people are trying to reach other planets, it is not very
difficult to understand the abode of the Supreme Lord. The abode of the
Supreme Lord is in the spiritual sky, and it is named as Goloka. In the
Brahmä-saàhitä it is very nicely described, goloka eva nivasaty
akhilätma-bhütaù [Bs 5.37].
[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka,
with Rädhä, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the
ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company
of Her confidantes [sakhés], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form,

35
permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.]
The Lord, although resides eternally in His abode, Goloka, still He is
akhilätma-bhütaù. He can..., He can be approached from here also. And the
Lord therefore comes to manifest His real form, sac-cid-änanda-vigraha [Bs 5.1],
[Kåñëa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an
eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and
He is the prime cause of all causes.]
Eternal, blissful and full of knowledge, then your botheration of thisso that we
may not have to imagine. There is no question of imagination. The Lord's
presence, by His causeless mercy He presents Himself in His Çyämasundara
rüpa.
Unfortunately, people with less intelligence deride at Him. Avajänanti mäà
müòhä [Bg 9.11].
[Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My
transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.]
Because the Lord comes as one of us and just like plays with us as a human
being, therefore we need not consider that Lord is one of us. It is His
omnipotency that He presents Himself with His real form before us and
displays His pastimes, just the prototype of His abode.
So that abode of Lord, there are innumerable planets also in that brahma-jyoti.
Just like we have got innumerable planets floating on the sun rays, similarly, in
the brahma-jyoti, which is emanating from the abode of the Supreme Lord,
Kåñëaloka, Goloka, änanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhävitäbhis [Bs 5.37], all those
planets are spiritual planets.
[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka,
with Rädhä, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the
ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company
of Her confidantes [sakhés], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form,

36
permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.]
They are änanda-cinmaya; they are not material planets.
So the Lord says,

na tad bhäsayate süryo

na çaçäìko na pävakaù
yad gatvä na nivartante
tad dhäma paramaà mama
[Bg 15.6]

[That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity.
One who reaches it never returns to this material world.]
Now, anyone who can approach that spiritual sky will not be required to come
back again in this material sky. So long we are in the material sky, what to
speak of approaching the moon planet... The moon planet, of course, is the
nearest planet, but even we approach the highest planet, which is called
Brahmaloka, there also we have the same miseries of material life, I mean to
say, the miseries of birth, death, old age and diseases. No planets in the
material universe is free from the four principles of material existence.
The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gétä, äbrahma-bhuvanäl lokäù punar
ävartino 'rjuna [Bg 8.16].
[From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are
places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who
attains to My abode, O son of Kunté, never takes birth again.]
The living entities are traveling from one planet to another. It is not that we
can simply go to other planets by the mechanical arrangement of the sputnik.
Anyone who desires to go to other planet, there is process. Yänti deva-vratä
devän pitèn yänti pitå-vratäù [Bg 9.25].
[Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those

37
who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who
worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with
Me.]
If anyone wants to go to any other planet, say moon planet, we need not try to
go by the sputnik. The Bhagavad-gétä instructs us, yänti deva-vratä devän.
These moon planets or sun planets or the planets above this Bhüloka, they are
called Svargaloka. Svargaloka. Bhüloka, Bhuvarloka, Svargaloka, they are
different status of planets. So... Devaloka. They are known just like that.
The Bhagavad-gétä gives a very simple formula that you can go to the higher
planets, Devaloka. Yänti deva-vratä devän. Yänti deva-vratä devän. Deva-vratä,
if we practice the process of worshiping the particular demigod, then we can go
to that particular planet also. We can go to the sun planet even, we can go to
the moon planet, we can go to the heavenly planet.
But Bhagavad-gétä does not advise us to go to any one of these planets in the
material world, because even we go to the Brahmaloka, the highest planet,
which is calculated by the modern scientist that we can reach the highest
planet by traveling with sputniks for 40,000's of years...
Now it is not possible to live 40,000's of years and reach the highest planet of
this material universe. But if one devotes his life in the worshipment of the
particular demigod he can approach the particular planet, as it is stated in the
Bhagavad-gétä: yänti deva-vratä devän pitèn yänti pitå-vratäù. Similarly, there is
Pitåloka.
Similarly, one who likes to approach the supreme planet... Supreme planet. The
supreme planet means the Kåñëaloka. In the spiritual sky there are
innumerable planets, sanätana planets, eternal planets, which are never
destroyed, annihilated. But of all those spiritual planets there is one planet, the
original planet, which is called Goloka Våndävana. So these informations are
there in the Bhagavad-gétä, and we are given the opportunity for leaving this

38
material world and get our eternal life in the eternal kingdom.
Now in the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä, the real picture of this
material world is given. It is said there that,

ürdhva-mülam adhaù-çäkham
açvatthaà prähur avyayam
chandäàsi yasya parëäni
yas taà veda sa veda-vit
[Bg 15.1]

[The Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward
and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows
this tree is the knower of the Vedas.]
Now, this material world is described in the Fifteenth Chapter of the
Bhagavad-gétä as a tree which has got its root upwards, ürdhva-mülam. Have
you experience of any tree which has its root upwards? We have got this
experience of a tree, root upwards, by reflection. If we stand on the bank of a
river or any reservoir of water, we can see that the tree on the bank of the
reservoir of water is reflected in the water as trunk downwards and the root
upwards.
So this material world is practically a reflection of the spiritual world. Just like
the reflection of the tree on the bank of a reservoir of water is seen downwards,
similarly, this material world, it is called shadow. Shadow. As in the shadow
there cannot be any reality, but at the same time, from the shadow we can
understand that there is reality. The example of shadow in the..., shadow of
water in the desert, suggests that in the desert there is no water, but there is
water. Similarly, in the reflection of the spiritual world, or in this material
world, there is undoubtedly there is no happiness, there is no water. But the
real water, or the actual happiness, is in the spiritual world.
The Lord suggests that one has to reach that spiritual world in the following

39
manner, nirmäna-mohä.

nirmäna-mohä jita-saìga-doñä
adhyätma-nityä vinivåtta-kämäù
dvandvair vimuktäù sukha-duùkha-saàjïair
gacchanty amüòhäù padam avyayaà tat
[Bg 15.5]

[One who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association, who
understands the eternal, who is done with material lust and is freed from the
duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to surrender unto the
Supreme Person, attains to that eternal kingdom.]
That padam avyayam, that eternal kingdom, can be reached by one who is
nirmäna-mohä. Nirmäna-mohä. Nirmäna means we are after designations.
Artificially we want some designations. Somebody wants to become sir,
somebody wants to become lord, somebody wants to become the president, or
somebody wants to become a rich man, somebody wants to become something
else, king. All these designation, so long we'll have attachment for all these
designation... Because after all, these designation belong to the body, and we
are not this body. This is the first conception of spiritual realization. So one has
no attraction for designation.
And jita-saìga-doñä. Saìga-doñä. Now we are associated with the three modes
of material qualities, and if we become detached by devotional service of the
Lord... So long we are not attracted by devotional service of the Lord, we
cannot be detached from the three modes of material nature. Therefore the
Lord says, vinivåtta-kämäù: these designations or these attachments are due to
our lust, desire. We want to lord it over the material nature. So, so long we do
not give up this propensity of lording it over the material nature, up to that
time there is no possibility of going back to the kingdom of the Supreme, the
sanätana-dhäma.

40
Dvandvair vimuktäù sukha-duùkha-saàjïair gacchanty amüòhäù..., amüòhäù
padam avyayaà tat [Bg 15.5].
[One who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association, who
understands the eternal, who is done with material lust and is freed from the
duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to surrender unto the
Supreme Person, attains to that eternal kingdom.]
That eternal kingdom, which is never destructible like this material world, can
be approached by amüòhäù. Amüòhäù means nonbewildered, one who is not
bewildered by the attraction of this false enjoyment. And one [who] is situated
in the supreme service of the Lord, he is the right person to approach that
eternal kingdom. And that eternal kingdom does not require any sun, any
moon or any electricity. That is a glimpse idea of approaching of the eternal
kingdom.
In another place in the Bhagavad-gétä it is also said that,

avyakto 'kñara ity uktas

tam ähuù paramäà gatim
yaà präpya na nivartante
tad dhäma paramaà mama
[Bg 8.21]

[That supreme abode is called unmanifested and infallible, and it is the

supreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That is My
supreme abode.]
Avyakta means nonmanifested. Even the part of material world is not
manifested before us. Our senses are so imperfect that we cannot see how many
stars, how many planets there are in this material universe. Of course, through
the Vedic literature we get information of all the planets. We may believe or
not believe, but all the important planets in which we have connection, they

41
are described in the Vedic literature, especially in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam.
But the spiritual world, which is beyond this material sky, paras tasmät tu bhävo
'nyo [Bg 8.20],
[Yet there is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this
manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated.
When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.]
but that avyakta, that nonmanifested spiritual sky, is the paramäà gatim, that
is, one should desire, one should hanker after reaching that supreme kingdom.
And once approaching that supreme kingdom, yaà präpya, one approaching or
one achieving that supreme kingdom, na nivartante, one hasn't got to return
back to this material world. And that place which is the eternal abode of Lord,
that from where we haven't got to return, that is our..., that should be our...
[break]
Now a question may be raised, what is the way how to approach the supreme
abode of the Lord. That is also described in the Bhagavad-gétä.
It is said on the Eighth Chapter, verses 5, 6, 7, 8,
[And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone,
at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.]
[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state
he will attain without fail.]
[Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kåñëa and
at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your
activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you
will attain Me without doubt.]
[He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind
constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O
Pärtha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.]

42
the process of approaching the Supreme Lord, or Supreme Lord's abode, is also
given there. It is said like this:

anta-käle ca mäm eva

smaran muktvä kalevaram
yaù prayäti sa mad-bhävaà
yäti nästy atra saàçayaù
[Bg 8.5]

[And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone,
at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.]
Anta-käle: at the end of life, at the time of death. Anta-käle ca mäm eva, one
who thinks of Kåñëa, smaran, if he can remember. A dying person, at the time
of death, if he remembers the form of Kåñëa, and while remembering in that
way if he quits the present body, then surely he approaches the spiritual
kingdom, mad-bhävam. Bhävam means the spiritual..., the nature. Yaù prayäti
sa mad-bhävaà yäti. Mad-bhävam means just like the nature, of the
transcendental nature, of the Supreme Being.
As we have described above, that the Supreme Lord is sac-cid-änanda-vigraha
[Bs 5.1].
[Kåñëa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an
eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and
He is the prime cause of all causes.]
He has His form, but His form is eternal, sat; and full of knowledge, cit; and full
of bliss, änanda. Now just we can compare our present body, whether this body
is sac-cid-änanda. No. This body is asat. Instead of being sat it is asat.
Antavanta ime dehä [Bg 2.18].
[Only the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal
living entity is subject to destruction; therefore, fight, O descendant of

43
Bharata.]
Bhagavad-gétä says that this body is antavat, perishable. And... Sac-cid-änanda.
Instead of becoming sat, it is asat, just the opposite. And instead of becoming
cit, full of knowledge, it is full of ignorance. We have no knowledge of the
spiritual kingdom, neither we have got any perfect knowledge of this material
world. So many things unknown to us; therefore this body is ignorant. Instead
of becoming full of knowledge it is ignorant.
The body is perishable, full of ignorance, and niränanda. Instead of becoming
full of bliss, it is full of miseries. All the miseries that we experience in this
material world, it is all due to this body. The Lord says that anta-käle ca mäm
eva smaran muktvä kalevaram [Bg 8.5].
[And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone,
at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.]
One who quits this material body, simply by remembering Lord Kåñëa, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, he at once gets the spiritual body of
sac-cid-änanda-vigraha [Bs 5.1].
The process of quitting this body and getting another body in the material
world is also organized. A man dies after it has been decided what form of body
he will have in the next life. But that is decided by higher authorities. Just like
according to our service we are promoted or degraded, similarly, according to
our acts we are... Acts of this life, the activities of this life, are preparation
ground for the next life. We are preparing for our next life by our activities of
this life. So if we can prepare our this life for getting promotion to the kingdom
of God, then surely, after leaving..., after quitting this material body... The
Lord says yaù prayäti, one who goes, sa mad-bhävaà yäti [Bg 8.5], mad-bhävam,
he gets the same spiritual body as the Lord has, or the same spiritual nature.
Now, there are different kinds of transcendentalist, as we have already
explained above: the brahmavädé, paramätmavädé and the devotees. In spiritual

44
sky, or in the brahma-jyoti, there are spiritual planets, innumerable spiritual
planets, we have already discussed. And the number of those planets are far, far
greater than all the universes of this material world. This material world is
ekäàçena sthito jagat [Bg 10.42].
[But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a
single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.]
This is one-fourth part manifestation of the whole creation. Three-fourth part
of the creation is the spiritual world. And in the one-fourth part of this
creation there are millions of universes like this which we are experiencing at
the present moment. And in one universe there are millions and billions of
planets. So there are millions and billions of suns and stars and moons in all
this material world, but all this material world constitute only one-fourth
manifestation of the whole creation. The three-fourth manifestation is in the
spiritual sky.
Now, this mad-bhävam, one who desires to merge into the existence of the
Supreme Brahman, they merge in the brahma-jyoti of the Supreme Lord.
Mad-bhävam means that brahma-jyoti as well as the spiritual planets in the
brahma-jyoti. And the devotees, who want to enjoy in the association of the
Lord, they enter into the planets, Vaikuëöha planets. There are innumerable
Vaikuëöha planets, and the Lord, Supreme Lord Çré Kåñëa, by His plenary
expansion as Näräyaëa with four hands, with different names, Pradyumna,
Aniruddha, and Mädhava, Govinda... There are many innumerable names of
this four-handed Näräyaëa. So one of the planets, that is also mad-bhävam,
that is also within the spiritual nature.
So any transcendentalist who, at the end of life, either he thinks of the
brahma-jyoti or meditates upon the Paramätmä or thinks of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Çré Kåñëa, in either case, they enter into the spiritual
sky. But only the devotees, those who have practiced personal touch with the
Supreme Lord, they enter into the Vaikuëöha planets or in the Goloka

45
Våndävana planet. The Lord says, yaù prayäti sa mad-bhävaà yäti nästy atra
saàçayaù [Bg 8.5].
[And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone,
at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.]

There is no doubt. One should not disbelieve. That is the question. You are
reading Bhagavad-gétä throughout the whole life, but when the Lord speaks
something which does not tally with our imagination, we reject it. That is not
the process of Bhagavad-gétä reading. Just like Arjuna said that sarvam etaà
åtam manye [Bg 10.14],
[O Kåñëa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the
gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.]
"I believe in everything, whatever You have said." Similarly, hear, hearing. The
Lord says that at the time of death, whoever thinks of Him, either as Brahman
or Paramätmä or the Personality of Godhead, certainly he enters into the
spiritual sky, and there is no doubt about it. One should not disbelieve it.
And the process is, general rule, is also stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, how one
can..., how it is possible to get into the spiritual kingdom simply by thinking of
the Supreme at the time of death. Because the general process is also
mentioned:

yaà yaà väpi smaran bhävaà

tyajaty ante kalevaram
taà tam evaiti kaunteya
sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù
[Bg 8.6]

[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state
he will attain without fail.]
There are different bhävas. Now, this material nature is also one of the bhävas,

46
as we have already explained, that this material nature is also the display of one
of the energies of the Supreme Lord. In the Viñëu Puräëa the total energies of
the Supreme Lord has been summarized.

viñëu-çaktiù parä proktä

kñetra-jïäkhyä tathä para
avidyä-karma-saàjïänyä
tåtéyä çaktir iñyate
[Cc Madhya 6.154]

[The internal potency of the Supreme Lord, Viñëu, is spiritual, as verified by

the çästras. There is another spiritual potency, known as kñetra-jïa, or the
living entity. The third potency, which is known as nescience, makes the living
entity godless and fills him with fruitive activity.]
All the energies, potencies of the..., paräsya çaktir vividhaiva çrüyate. The
Supreme Lord has diverse energies, innumerable energies, which we cannot
conceive. But great learned sages, liberated souls, they have studied and they
have summarized the whole energies into three parts, into three headings.
The first is... All the energies are viñëu-çakti. All the energies, they are
different potencies of the Lord Viñëu. Now, that energy is parä,
transcendental. And kñetra-jïäkhyä tathä parä, and the living entities,
kñetra-jïa, they are also belonging to the group of that superior energy, as it is
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä also. We have already explained. And the
other energies, the material energy, is tåtéyä karma-saàjïänyä [Cc Madhya
6.154]. The other energy is in the mode of ignorance. That is material energy.
So material energy is also bhagavad-dhama[?].
So at the time of death, either we can remain in the material energy, or this
material world, or we can transfer into the spiritual world. That is the criterion.
So the Bhagavad-gétä says,

47
 yaà yaà väpi smaran bhävaà
tyajaty ante kalevaram
taà tam evaiti kaunteya
sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù
[Bg 8.6]

[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state
he will attain without fail.]
Now, as we are accustomed to think either of this material energy or of the
spiritual energy, now, how to transfer the thinking? The thinking of the
material energy, how it can be transferred into thinking of the spiritual energy?
So for thinking in the spiritual energy the Vedic literatures are there. Just like
thinking in the material energies, there are so many literatures—newspapers,
magazines, novels, fictions and so many things. Full of literatures. So our
thinkings are absorbed in these literatures. Similarly, if we want to transfer our
thinking in the spiritual atmosphere, then we have to transfer our reading
capacity to the Vedic literature. The learned sages therefore made so many
Vedic literatures, the Puräëas. The Puräëas are not stories; they are historical
records.
In the Caitanya-caritämåta there is a verse which reads as follows:
anädi-bahirmukha jéva kåñëa bhuli' gela, ataeva kåñëa veda-puräëa kailä [Cc
Madhya 20.117],
[Forgetting Kåñëa, the living entity has been attracted by the external
feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy [mäyä] gives him
all kinds of misery in his material existence.]
that these forgetful living entities, conditioned souls, they have forgotten the
relationship with the Supreme Lord, and they are engrossed in thinking of the
material activities. And just to transfer their thinking power to the spiritual

48
capacity, the Kåñëa-dvaipäyana Vyäsa, he has made so many Vedic literatures.
Vedic literatures means first he divided the Vedas into four. Then he explained
them by the Puräëas. Then for the incapable persons, just like stré, çüdra,
vaiçya, he made the Mahäbhärata. And in the Mahäbhärata he introduced this
Bhagavad-gétä. Then again he summarized the whole Vedic literature in the
Vedänta-sütra. And the Vedänta-sütra, for future guidance, he made a natural
commentation by himself which is called Çrémad-Bhägavatam.
Çrémad-Bhägavatam is called bhäñyo 'yaà brahma-süträëäm [Cc Madhya 25.143].
It is the natural commentation of Vedänta-sütra.
[The meaning of the Vedänta-sütra is present in Çrémad-Bhägavatam. The
full purport of the Mahäbhärata is also there. The commentary of the
Brahma-gäyatré is also there and fully expanded with all Vedic knowledge.
Çrémad-Bhägavatam is the supreme Puräëa, and it was compiled by the
Supreme Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Vyäsadeva. There are
twelve cantos, 335 chapters and eighteen thousand verses.]
So all these literatures, if we transfer our thought, tad-bhäva-bhävitaù, sadä.
Sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù [Bg 8.6].
[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state
he will attain without fail.]
One who is engaged always... Just like the materialist is always engaged in
reading some material literature like newspaper, magazines and fiction, novel,
etc., and so many scientific or philosophies, all these things of different degrees
of thought; similarly, if we transfer our that reading capacity for these Vedic
literatures, as presented by..., as very kindly presented by Vyäsadeva, then it is
quite possible for us to remember at the time of death the Supreme Lord.
That is the only way suggested by the Lord Himself. Not suggested; it is the
fact. Nästy atra saàçayaù [Bg 8.5].
[And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone,

49
at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.]
Undoubtedly. There is no doubt about it. Tasmät, the Lord suggested,
therefore, tasmät sarveñu käleñu mäm anusmara yudhya ca [Bg 8.7].
[Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kåñëa and
at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your
activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you
will attain Me without doubt.]
He advises Arjuna that mäm anusmara yudhya ca. He does not say that "You
simply go on remembering Me and give up your present occupational duty." No.
That is not suggested. The Lord never suggests something impractical.
This material world, to maintain this body, one has to work. The work is
divided into four divisions of social order: brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya, çüdra.
The intelligent class of the society, they are working in a different way, and
the administrator class of society, they are also working in a different way. The
mercantile society, the productive society, they are also working in a different
way, and the laborer class, they are also working in different way. In the human
society, either as laborer or as mercantile men or as politicians, administrators,
or as the highest class of intelligent class of men in literary career, scientific
researches, everybody is engaged in some work, and one has to work, struggle
for existence.
So Lord advises that "You need not give up your occupation, but at the same
time you can remember." Mäm anusmara [Bg 8.7]. That will make you..., that
will help you in remembering Me at the time of death. If you don't practice
remembering Me always, along with your struggle for existence, then it is not
possible." It is not possible. The same thing is advised by Lord Caitanya,
kértanéyaù sadä hariù [Cc Ädi 17.31].
[One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a
tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all

50
respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.]
Kértanéyaù sadä. One should practice to chant the name of the Lord always.
The name of Lord and the Lord is not different.
So here the instruction of Lord Kåñëa to Arjuna that mäm anusmara [Bg 8.7],
"You just remember Me," and Lord Caitanya's instruction that "You chant
always the name of Kåñëa..." Here Kåñëa says that "You always remember Me,"
or you remember Kåñëa, and Lord Caitanya says, "You always chant the name
of Kåñëa." So there is no difference, because Kåñëa and Kåñëa's name are
nondifferent in the Absolute. In the absolute status there is no difference
between one thing to another. That is the absolute status. The Lord being
absolute, there is no difference between His name and Himself.
So we have to practice like that. Tasmät sarveñu käleñu. Always, twenty-four
hours, we have to mold our activities of life in such way that we can remember,
twenty-four hours. How it is possible? Yes, it is possible. It is possible. A very
crude example is set by the äcäryas in this connection. And what is that
example? It is said that a woman who is attached to another man, although she
has got a husband, still, he's [she's] attached to another man. And this sort of
attachment becomes very strong. This is called parakéya-rasa, either in case of
man or woman. If a man has got attachment for another woman besides his
wife, or a woman has got attachment for another man besides his [her]
husband, that attachment is very strong. That attachment is very strong.
So the äcäryas give this example: As a bad character woman who has got
attachment for other's husband, she always thinks, at the same time, shows her
husband that she is very much busy in the family affairs so that her husband
may not doubt her character. So as she is always remembering the time of
meeting with her lover at night, in spite of doing all this household work very
nicely, similarly, one has to remember the supreme husband, Çré Kåñëa, always,
in spite of doing his material duties very nicely. That is possible. It requires a
strong sense of love. When you have got a strong sense of love for the Supreme

51
Lord, then it is possible that we can go on discharging our duty, at the same
time remember the Lord.
So we have to develop that sense. Just like Arjuna was always thinking of Lord.
He, out of twenty-four hours, not for a second he could forget Kåñëa. Constant
companion of Kåñëa, at the same time, a warrior. Lord Kåñëa did not advise
Arjuna to give up his fighting, go to the forest, go to the Himalaya and
meditate. When yoga system was advised to Arjuna, Arjuna declined, that
"This system is not possible for me." Then the Lord said, yoginäm api sarveñäà
mad-gatenäntarätmanä [Bg 6.47].
[And of all yogés, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping
Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga
and is the highest of all.]
Mad-gatenäntarätmanä çraddhävän bhajate yo mäà sa me yuktatamo mataù. So
one who thinks of the Supreme Lord always, he's the greatest yogé, he is the
supermost jïäné, and he is also the greatest devotee at the same time.
The Lord advises that tasmät sarveñu käleñu mäm anusmara yudhya ca [Bg 8.7]:
"As a kñatriya you cannot give up your fighting business. You have to fight. So
at the same time if you practice remembering Me always, then it will be
possible," anta-käle ca mäm eva smaran [Bg 8.5], "then it will be possible to
remember Me also at the time of death."
[And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone,
at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.]
Mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mäm evaiñyasy asaàçayaù [Bg 8.7].
[Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kåñëa and
at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your
activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you
will attain Me without doubt.]
Again He says that there is no doubt. If one is completely surrendered into the

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service of the Lord, into the transcendental loving service of the Lord, mayy
arpita-mano-buddhir.
Because we work not with our body actually; we work with our mind and
intelligence. So if our intelligence and mind are always engaged in the thought
of the Supreme Lord, then naturally our senses are also engaged in the service
of the Lord. That is the secret of Bhagavad-gétä. One has to learn this art, how
one can be absorbed both by the mind and intelligence twenty-four hours
thinking of the Lord. And that will help one to transfer himself into the
kingdom of God, or in the spiritual atmosphere, after leaving this material
body.
The modern scientist, they are trying for years and years together for reaching
the moon planet, and they have no approach as yet. But here in the
Bhagavad-gétä, here is a suggestion. Suppose a man lives for another fifty years
and he... So nobody tries to elevate himself in the spiritual ideas for fifty years.
That's a very good idea. But even for ten years or five years one sincerely tries
for this practice, mayy arpita-mano-buddhir... It is simply a question of practice.
And that practice can be very easily possible by the devotional process,
çravaëaà. Çravaëaà.
The easiest process is to hear.

çravaëaà kértanaà viñëoù

smaraëaà päda-sevanam
arcanaà vandanaà däsyaà
sakhyam ätma-nivedanam
[SB 7.5.23]

[There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional

service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being
patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as çravaëaà
kértanaà viñëoù smaraëam—hearing, chanting and remembering Kåñëa], (5)

53
abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps
of the previous äcäryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete
success of pure devotional service.]
These nine processes. So the easiest process is simply hearing. Hearing of this
Bhagavad-gétä or Çrémad-Bhägavatam from the realized person, that will train
up oneself, one, into the thoughts of the Supreme Being twenty-four hours,
which will lead one ultimately, anta-käle, to remember the Supreme Lord, and
thus leaving this body, he will have a spiritual body, a spiritual body, just fit for
association with the Lord.
The Lord therefore says,

abhyäsa-yoga-yuktena
cetasä nänya-gäminä
paramaà puruñaà divyaà
yäti pärthänucintayan
[Bg 8.8]

[He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind

constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O
Pärtha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.]
Anucintayan, constantly thinking of Himself only. It is not very difficult
process. One has to learn this process from the experienced person in this line.
Tad vijïänärthaà sa gurum eväbhigacchet [Muëòaka Upaniñad 1.2.12].
[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with
firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly
devoted to the Absolute Truth.]
One should approach a person who is already in the practice.
So abhyäsa-yoga-yuktena. This is called abhyäsa-yoga, practicing. Abhyäsa...
How to remember the Supreme Lord always. Cetasä nänya-gäminä. The mind,

54
the mind is always flying to this, to that. So one has to practice to concentrate
the mind into the form of the Supreme Lord Çré Kåñëa always, or in the sound,
in His name, which is made easier. Instead of concentrating my mind—my
mind may be very restless, going hither and thither—but I can concentrate my
ear into the sound vibration of "Kåñëa," and that will also help me. That is also
abhyäsa-yoga. Cetasä nänya-gäminä paramaà puruñaà divyaà [Bg 8.8].
Paramaà puruña, that Supreme Personality of Godhead in the spiritual
kingdom, in the spiritual sky, one can approach, anucintayan, constantly
thinking.
So these processes, the ways and means, all are stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, and
there is no bar for anyone. It is not that a particular class of men can approach.
Thinking of Lord Kåñëa is possible; hearing of Lord Kåñëa is possible by
everyone. And the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gétä,

mäà hi pärtha vyapäçritya

ye 'pi syuù päpa-yonayaù
striyo çüdräs tathä vaiçyäs
te 'pi yänti paräà gatim
[Bg 9.32]

[O son of Påthä, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower
birth—women, vaiçyas [merchants], as well as çüdras [workers]—can approach
the supreme destination.]

kià punar brähmaëäù puëyä

bhaktä räjarñayas tathä
asukhaà..., anityam asukhaà lokam
imaà präpya bhajasva mäm
[Bg 9.33]

[How much greater then are the brähmaëas, the righteous, the devotees and
saintly kings who in this temporary miserable world engage in loving service

55
unto Me.]
The Lord says that even a human being in the lowest status of life, lowest
status of life, or even a fallen woman or a mercantile man or a laborer class of
man... The mercantile class of men, the laborer class of men and the woman
class, they are counted in the same category, because their intelligence is not so
developed. But the Lord says they also, or even lower than them, mäà hi pärtha
vyapäçritya ye 'pi syuù—not only they or lower than them, or anyone, it does
not matter who is he, or who she is—anyone who accepts this principle of
bhakti-yoga and accepts the Supreme Lord as the summum bonum of life, the
highest target, highest goal of life, mäà hi pärtha vyapäçritya ye 'pi syuù, te 'pi
yänti paräà gatim [Bg 9.32], that paräà gatim in the spiritual kingdom and the
spiritual sky, everyone can approach. Simply one has to practice the system.
That system is hinted in the Bhagavad-gétä very nicely, and one can adopt it
and make his life perfect and make a permanent solution of life. That is the
sum and substance of the whole Bhagavad-gétä.
Therefore, the conclusion is that Bhagavad-gétä is a transcendental literature
which one should read very carefully. Gétä-çästram idaà puëyaà yaù paöhet
prayataù pumän [Gétä-mähätmya 1].
[One who, with a regulated mind, recites with devotion this Bhagavad-gétä
scripture which is the bestower of all virtue, will attain to a holy abode such as
Vaikuntha, the residence of Lord Viñëu, which is always free from the
mundane qualities based on fear and lamentation.]
And the result will be, if he properly follows the instruction, then he can be
freed from all miseries of life, all anxieties of life. Bhaya-çokädi-varjitaù. All
fears of life, in this life, as well as he'll get a spiritual life in the next life.

gétädhyäyana-çélasya
präëäyama-parasya ca
naiva santi hi päpäni

56
 pürva-janma-kåtäni ca
[Gétä-mähätmya 2]

[If one reads Bhagavad-gétä very sincerely and with all seriousness, then by
the grace of the Lord the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him.]

So another advantage is that if one reads Bhagavad-gétä very sincerely and with
all seriousness, then by the grace of the Lord, the reactions of his past misdeeds
will not act upon him. The Lord says very loudly in the Bhagavad-gétä in the
last portion, ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù [Bg 18.66].
[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver
you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

The Lord takes the responsibility. One who surrenders unto the Lord, He takes
the responsibility to indemnify, to indemnify from all reactions of sins.

mala-nirmocanaà puàsäà
jala-snänaà dine dine
sakåd gétämåta-snänam
saàsära-mala-näçanam
[Gétä-mähätmya 3]

[One may cleanse himself daily by taking a bath in water, but if one takes a
bath even once in the sacred Ganges water of Bhagavad-gétä, for him the dirt
of material life is altogether vanquished.]
One cleanses oneself daily by taking bath in the water, but one who takes once
bath in the sacred Ganges water of Bhagavad-gétä, his..., the dirty material life
is altogether vanquished.

gétä su-gétä kartavyä

kim anyaiù çästra-vistaraiù
yä svayaà padmanäbhasya

57
 mukha-padmäd viniùsåtä
[Gétä-mähätmya 4]

[Because Bhagavad-gétä is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

one need not read any other Vedic literature. One need only attentively and
regularly hear and read Bhagavad-gétä. In the present age, people are so
absorbed in mundane activities that it is not possible for them to read all the
Vedic literatures. But this is not necessary. This one book, Bhagavad-gétä, will
suffice, because it is the essence of all Vedic literatures and especially because
it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]
Because Bhagavad-gétä is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
therefore people should..., people may not read all other Vedic literatures.
Simply if he attentively and regularly reads and hears Bhagavad-gétä, gétä
su-gétä kartavyä... And one should adopt this means by all means. Gétä su-gétä
kartavyä kim anyaiù çästra-vistaraiù. Because at the present age people are
embarrassed with so many things that it is hardly possible to divert his
attention in all the Vedic literatures. This one literature will do, because it is
the essence of all Vedic literature, and especially spoken by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.

bhäratämåta-sarvasvaà
viñëu-vakträd viniùsåtam
gétä-gaìgodakaà pétvä
punar janma na vidyate
[Gétä-mähätmya 5]

[By drinking the Ganges waters of the Gétä, the divine quintessence of the
Mahäbhärat emanating from the holy lotus mouth of Lord Viñëu, one will
never take rebirth in the material world again. In other words, by devotionally
reciting the Gétä, the cycle of birth and death is terminated.]
As it is said that one who drinks the water of the Ganges, he also gets

58
salvation, then what to speak of Bhagavad-gétä. Bhagavad-gétä is the nectar in
the whole Mahäbhärata, and is spoken by Viñëu. Lord Kåñëa is the original
Viñëu. Viñëu-vakträd viniùsåtam. It is coming out of the mouth of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. And gaìgodakaà, the Ganges is said to be emanated
from the lotus feet of the Lord, and Bhagavad-gétä is emanated from the mouth
of the Lord. Of course, there is no difference between the mouth and the feet
of the Supreme Lord. Still, from neutral position we can study that
Bhagavad-gétä is even more important than the Ganges water.

sarvopaniñado gävo
dogdhä gopäla-nandana
pärtho vatsaù su-dhér bhoktä
dugdhaà gétämåtaà mahat
[Gétä-mähätmya 6]

[All the Upanisads are like a cow, and the milker of the cow is Sri Kåñëa, the
son of Nanda. Arjuna is the calf, the beautiful nectar of the Gita is the milk,
and the fortunate devotees of fine theistic intellect are the drinkers and
enjoyers of that milk.]
Just... This Gétopaniñad is just like a cow, and the Lord is famous as cow boy,
and He was milking this cow. Sarvopaniñado. And it is the essence of all
Upaniñads and represented as the cow. And the Lord being expert cow boy, He
is milking the cow. And pärtho vatsaù: and Arjuna is just like the calf. And
su-dhér bhoktä: and learned scholars and pure devotees, they are to take this
milk. Su-dhér bhoktä dugdhaà gétämåtaà mahat: the nectar, the milk of
Bhagavad-gétä, is meant for learned devotees.

ekaà çästraà devaké-putra-gétam

eko devo devaké-putra eva
eko mantras tasya nämäni yäni
karmäpy ekaà tasya devasya sevä

59
 [Gétä-mähätmya 7]

[There need be only one holy scripture—the divine Gétä sung by Lord Çré
Kåñëa: only one worshipable Lord—Lord Çré Kåñëa: only one mantra—His
holy names: and only one duty—devotional service unto that Supreme
Worshipable Lord, Çré Kåñëa.]
Now, the world should learn from the Bhagavad-gétä the lesson. Evaà çästraà
devaké-putra-gétam: there is one scripture only, one common scripture for the
whole world, for the people of the whole world, and that is this Bhagavad-gétä.
Devo devaké-putra eva: and there is one God for the whole world, is Çré Kåñëa.
And eko mantras tasya nämäni: and one hymn, mantra, one hymn only, one
prayer, or one hymn, is to chant His name: Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa
Kåñëa, Hare Hare / Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. Eko
mantras tasya nämäni yäni karmäpy ekaà tasya devasya sevä: and there is one
work only, that is to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
If one learns from Bhagavad-gétä, then the people are very much anxious to
have one religion, one God, one scripture and one business or one activity of
life. This is summarized in the Bhagavad-gétä. That one, one God, is Kåñëa.
Kåñëa is not sectarian God. Kåñëa, from the name of Kåñëa... Kåñëa means, as
we have explained above, Kåñëa means the greatest pleasure. So therefore...
[break] [end]

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